Claude Rich

Quote:
A chance remark leads three French naval officers to reminisce, together and privately, about the compelling young commander Willsdorf, nicknamed The Drummer Crab, recalling his exploits from the fog-shrouded rivers of Indochina to an attempted military coup in Algeria to his lonely, anonymous vigil in the North Atlantic fishing lanes nearby. Joseph Conrad would have loved this film, arguably the finest modern seafaring adventure ever made: a thoughtful and thrilling study of man versus the elements, where the past itself becomes an elemental force even more unyielding than the vivid Winter seascapes captured by Raoul Coutard’s breathtaking cinematography. In metaphor, Willsdorf’s fate is the fate of French colonialism, and only by pursuing his memory, through crashing waves and hissing spindrift, can his three erstwhile companions (a dying captain, a middle-aged medical officer, and a robust, veteran Chief Engineer) confront and endure their collective loss. This is a spellbinding film, rich in history and detail.Read More »

Quote:
“L’Avarice” was Chabrol’s contribution to the 1962 French/Italian omnibus film LES SEPT PÉCHÉS CAPITAUX (which also featured contributions from de Broca, Jacques Demy, Sylvain Dhomme, Max Douy, Jean-Luc Godard, Eugène Ionesco, Edouard Molinaro, and Roger Vadim) in which a group of twenty-five engineering students put hold a lottery to pick who gets to spend a 50,000 franc evening with a beautiful prostitute. The film was photographed in Franscope by Jean Rabier (Henri Decae’s camera operator on LE BEAU SERGE and LES COUSINS.)
—DVD BeaverRead More »

After 18 years of married life, Jean leaves his wife, Nadine, so that he can start a new life with his mistress, Christine. Nadine is distraught by this rejection and sinks into a deep depression, which she finally manages to overcome with the support of her son, Rémi. She gets herself a job with a law firm and begins a relationship with a likeable engineer named David. With the latter’s help, Nadine resumes her studies and acquires a new lease of life. When Jean returns to her, she sends him away.Read More »

Synopsis:
‘Laurent is a poster designer who is about to begin rehearsals for his first stage play, a musical comedy. To celebrate this auspicious event, he holds a party at his apartment, to which his best friends are all invited. News that the lead actress in Laurent’s play has been run over by a bus laden with Dutch tourists puts a damper on the evening, but Laurent wastes no time looking for a replacement, not knowing that his girlfriend Valérie covets the part. As Valérie’s dreams of stardom are crushed she realises that her relationship with Laurent is over – or so she thinks. Either way, the evening will prove decisive for them both…’
– Films de FranceRead More »